


Agonizing Petals

by Nanostin



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Angst, F/M, Hanahaki Disease, Modern AU, Two Endings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-26
Updated: 2018-02-26
Packaged: 2019-03-24 11:36:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13810371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nanostin/pseuds/Nanostin
Summary: Himiko obviously found him to be a bother, a nuiscance. She probably didn’t think too well of him, yet he fell as fast as a boulder rolling down a mountain. This unrequited love would be the death of him.





	Agonizing Petals

**Author's Note:**

> Hanahaki disease (n.): An illness born of one-sided love, causing flowers to form and grow in the lungs of the unrequited, the petals coughed up with increasing frequency. If the love is not returned, the flowers filling up the patient’s chest will eventually prove fatal. There is surgery available to fix this problem; however, the feelings will perish.
> 
> A story made by my friend as a gift for me. She told me to just credit her as "my friend".

“Oi, Himiko!” The voice was called out from behind the red-head as she was starting her walk away from the school. Everyone that was walking out of the same high school stopped and stared up at the boy causing the commotion. Himiko felt her cheeks go red and burn from the attention directed by the rambunctious teen who she, unfortunately, had been acquainted with. She didn’t dare to look back and rather continued walking away from the school she wouldn’t see again until Monday came back. The boy called out from the steps of the entrance once more, a voice louder than the previous and drawing even more attention back to himself. She still continued to walk on, brushing some of her short locks behind her ear and fixing the pearl hairpin she had on. Every student had gone back to minding their own business. Himiko took in a deep breath and released, venting out her anger at the boy who had just humiliated her(in her mind anyway). She fixed the straps of her gray backpack and continued to walk on ahead, looking straight ahead at the houses adorning the sidewalks from a couple of feet away. She felt a few drops pelt her hair and her hose. It was drizzling. This Friday afternoon was a gray one. The chilly wind blew through as Himiko snuggled into her gray sweater that was atop her school uniform: a white button-up shirt with gray or black pants. Her brown mutton boots kept her feet warm in the chilly weather. She soon heard hurried footsteps behind her and ragged breaths. The teen knew who it was and proceeded to ignore the presence of the older male. “Giving me the silent treatment I see.” He put emphasis on the ‘e,’ extending it a little longer. Himiko knew he was giving her that cheeky grin he always pulled off. She continued to ignore him and just walked on ahead, increasing her pace with each step in order to get away from the male. He just continued to follow her. What a nuisance. “Oi, Himiko.” The red-head continued to defy his presence. He continued on. “Himiko. Himiko. Hello? Is anybody in there?” He then proceeded to rap lightly on her forehead.

“What do you want Ouma?” She kept her calm demeanor, hiding her agitated feelings for the purple-head. Himiko didn’t consider Ouma a friend or anything pleasant in that manner. He just showed up one day and teased her constantly throughout the school day. She felt humiliated and embarrassed since he would call her out in front of the entire class at times, choking back her tears and hiding her depleting self-confidence. She loathed his entity for that. His ‘pranks’ as he would call them were really just hurting her self-esteem, taking a jab at it and bruising the already weak and low self-esteem she had. She would regain her composure within a few hours though, so it wasn’t all too bad. She was thankful that he had at least kept her company and complimented her skills once in a while, although rare.

“I just wanted to see how long it would take until you would respond to me.” Ouma grinned his signature grin once more, laughing a bit about his ‘game.’ Himiko turned to glare at his being. “Ah! You looked at me! That’s one for the books!” Himiko rolled her eyes as Ouma laughed a bit more in the background. She just wanted to get home and feast on some macaroni and cheese her mother had promised her. Oh how she loved her mother’s cheesy home-made recipe. She also just wanted to relax and play some Mario Kart on her Wii she had installed in her room. Himiko didn’t have any homework or tests to study for. It was a blessing really.

"Why are you walking with me?” Himiko didn’t feel like dealing with Ouma on a Friday afternoon. He would always walk home with her, except a few days when he had to attend the school’s chess club that took place in the room of the chemistry teacher. He had always begged her to come and join, but she always rejected as she saw it as an opportunity for Ouma to constantly tease her and probably take a jab at how horrendous her chess skills were. That’s beside the point though.

“I always walk home with you. We live like two blocks away.” Although he had a point, Himiko didn’t feel like dealing with him for any longer, so she picked up the pace of her walking since she was about two minutes away from her home. A few seconds after, she heard a slight cough from beside her, turning around to see Ouma covering his mouth with his right hand. She saw two white daisy petals covered in saliva being coughed up, Ouma holding them in his hand. It was peculiar and a bit frightening to Himiko, so she decided to worry about his wellbeing for once, being the decent being she was, and ask him about his health.

“Are you ok? That’s not normal to cough up petals.” She placed her dominant hand on Ouma’s forehead just like her mother had taught her. He was not heating up. His temperature was just fine, 98 degrees take or leave a few. He just laughed as off brushing it aside, throwing in a few fits of coughing here and there.

“It’s a new magic trick I’m trying out.” He coughed a bit more petals up, holding them out with an extended hand for Himiko to observe. She backed away, mainly due to the disgust she felt looking at the saliva-ridden petals. “Do you like it? I can also be a magician you know, not just you.” He then went into another fit of coughs, this one a bit more intense than the last. Just like the other times, a couple of petals were coughed up. “Anyway, it’s time for me to head on home.” Ouma still had that childish grin of his, but this one felt different than all of the other times he had pulled off his signature grin. There was a tint of sorrow mixed in with misery in that grin of his. Himiko could barely sense it, however. It was well-hidden under the facade he was pulling out. Before she could utter a word, Ouma sped off towards his house which was just a few minutes away. She was left in bewilderment at the rapid chain of events that had just taken place. She stood in her spot for a couple of seconds although they ticked away as if they were a couple of hours. The red-head stared at the white petals before her on the cement, still being pelted with raindrops. There was just something off about Ouma’s behavior, but she decided not to think too much about it. After all, she was just two minutes away from mac ‘n cheese.

~

The young boy sat in front of the white porcelain bathtub, dipping his finger in the cold water filled with a bunch of white petals he had coughed up a few minutes prior. His chest was in pain. His lungs were inflamed. He often ran short of breath quickly, which was unlike him. Heck, he had trouble breathing when he rapidly climbed up the stairs, ignoring the worried calls from his mother and father. The pain he felt in his lungs and the multitude of coughing fits he had gone through all occurred when he had thought of her. He hid his feelings, knowing all too well that it wasn’t going to happen. Himiko obviously found him to be a bother, a nuisance. She probably didn’t think too well of him, yet he fell as fast as a boulder rolling down a mountain. This unrequited love would be the death of him. Once more, he coughed up some petals, this particular fit scratching the inside of his throat like claws trying grasp onto the inside walls of his trachea. These petals were tinted with a light shade of pink, some petals only having splotches of the pink instead. He felt a warm substance on his hand. It came to his surprise when he saw dots of blood sprinkled onto his right hand, mixed in with the saliva that had come out. His condition was growing worse by the second. Ouma, however, kept his failing condition a secret from everyone around him. There was no need to worry anyone, although he was frightened by the daisy petals and blood he coughed up every once in a while. He had no idea what was happening to him. It was a peculiar situation to say the least. He then heard a worried call coming from his mother from the kitchen downstairs. It was in a form of a question, asking if he was alright.

“Yeah, I’m just tired.” He tried to make his voice a happy one, desperately trying to pull off a facade. He wasn’t completely lying though. Ouma did feel exhausted after the day’s events. The coughing and hacking had started up a few days ago. The petals haven’t fallen out until this morning, however, making him worry about his wellbeing but continuing on to school anyway.

~

It was Monday again, another weekend slipping by with ease and satisfaction. For Himiko, her weekend was relaxing, and she was left feeling well-rested. She had gone out to the theater to watch a new release she had been anticipating ever since she had seen the trailer for it on a commercial. Himiko had no homework and tests to worry about. Her mind was free of stress and worry. Ouma was the exact opposite on the other hand. His weekend was filled with hacking and coughing, especially during the nights when the stars had come out and he was alone to his thoughts filled with dread and fright. He had been coughing up more pink petals, turning a darker shade each day, as well as coughing up more droplets of blood. His breathing had also been affected. He no longer could inhale large amounts of oxygen but rather had trouble breathing. He heavily panted when climbing up the stairs or running, but it was nothing too serious he would lie to himself.Maybe today will be better. But it was just another lie he told himself.

Himiko sat slumped in her seat in homeroom, nose in a book since her teacher had not yet come to class. All of the students wandered the class, chatting with friends and making obnoxiously loud noises. She tried to keep to herself, not wanting to attract any unwanted attention. Unfortunately, today just wasn’t her day since she saw Ouma come walking towards her from her peripheral vision. She prayed that he wouldn’t bother her today, humiliate her in front of their classmates while she’s left biting her own cheek to prevent tears from spilling out. Himiko kept her nose in her book, ignoring the presence drawing nearer until she felt it sit in the empty seat in front of her. She tried her best to keep her pupils glued to the black lettering of the white pages, mentally reading the words while not absorbing a single word that she had just read. Her thought process was out of whack, only thinking of all the things Ouma could do right now to humiliate her. She really didn’t feel like being picked on today since she had just come back from a lazy weekend. Knowing Ouma though, she knew that there was a high chance that he would pick on her, tease her about her constant sleepy and hazy state or her short height even though he was around the same height as her.

"What are you reading?” Himiko was a bit taken aback by the question that had come from Ouma. It seemed like a legitimate question. She peeked a bit from above her page, noticing Ouma’s attentive expression, hues filled with interest and curiosity as he placed his chin in his hand. She figured that it was in her best interest to answer rather than to ignore him and probably be teased on how she’s keeping silent, probably hiding a dark secret or something.

"It’s a book assigned for my English class. Chapter nine is due tomorrow.” She kept her eyes glued to the white pages, not wanting to give Ouma the attention he probably wanted. For some odd reason, he never decided to talk to anyone but Himiko when they were in the same class, except for a few guys such as that green-headed kid he always talks about that is in chess club with him. Ouma muttered an ‘oh’ and continued to sit at the desk in silence, playing with the hem of his black jacket he wore to class due to the chilly weather. Himiko wondered why he was still seated near her since it seemed like he had wanted to ask what was on his mind. She decided to ignore his presence and focus on the homework she wanted to finish. She could’ve read them over the weekend, but she took the opportunity to relax and read the chapter on Monday. A minute of awkward silence flew by, Himiko feeling a bit uncomfortable with the presence of Ouma since he had remained awfully silent which was unlike him. It turned her off, frightening her at the thought that he could be plotting something, like a humiliating prank that would surely leave her in tears. Soon, she heard a fit of coughing coming from in front of her. It was scratchy, comparing to nails on a chalkboard. She looked up from her book to see who was coughing and was met with Ouma covering his mouth with his right hand once more. Looks like he was still sick from the time she had last seen him on Friday. This time, he sounded worse, as if he had an entirely new sickness atop of his old one. When he took his hand off, she saw those same daisy petals as before, except that these were pink. Splotches of blood aligned the creases of his hand as well as a blob of viscous phlegm and dots of saliva. Her eyes widened at the sight of the blood. There was something seriously wrong with his wellbeing if he was coughing up blood. Himiko quickly took out a tissue she had in her pocket and handed it to Ouma, urging him to take it. “Here, wipe your hand off with this.”

"Thanks,” he muttered dryly, taking the tissue and proceeding to wipe off the bits of blood, saliva, and phlegm that was left on his skin. He maintained his calm composure, freaking out on the inside unbeknownst to Himiko, his unrequited love. Ouma figured that Himiko had seen the blood and handed him a tissue to wipe it off. He didn’t want anyone to figure out about his sickness. While he was currently freaking out, he started to hyperventilate as well, having a loss of breath and feeling his chest heave up and down in a vertical movement. It was also harder for him to breathe. It felt as if there was something percolating and filling up his lungs, making it harder for him to maintain his breath. It was as if someone tied a string around his neck, making his airway shorter and only capable of allowing fewer oxygen to pass through. His condition was growing worse faster than he thought. Ouma tried not to panic as of now, taking in deep breaths and lying to himself, saying that it’s just a mere cold. He didn’t believe his own lies though as he didn’t know where the daisy petals had come from.

"Are you sure you’re ok? You’re worse than from Friday.” Himiko’s tone was one of worry and concern. Ouma felt a pound of guilt suddenly drop on his frail body. He had worried the one he loved. He had to come up with something fast, anything to fill up the awkward silence and worry between them. He couldn’t worry Himiko.

“Yeah, just a little cold.” He smiled through the pain felt in his heart and lungs.Just keep smiling and pull a facade. With each beat of his heart, he felt a pang of guilt and pain resonate within his entity. With each breath, he felt as if he was slowly slipping away from this world and into one of pitch black darkness.

“That is not just a little cold. You’re coughing up blood!” Her voice was raised a bit, but not enough to attract everyone’s attention towards the two of them. Himiko seemed angry at Ouma, figuring out the lie he had pulled off. It was a flimsy lie though. Anyone with at least half a brain could see that the young boy was far from being okay. His chest ached. His lungs hurt. His heart still beat though, but he felt like a zombie, dead. “Are you sure you don’t want to visit the nurse? You’re still coughing up those petals as well.”

"It’s just part of my magic trick I’m practicing. Don’t you remember stupid?” Ouma decided to keep going on with his lie, insulting Himiko just to show that he was just his normal, idiotic self. It pained him to see her worry. Himiko seemed to be taken aback by the insult, looking disheartened since, after all, she was being a decent being and asking Ouma about his health which was clearly not in the best of shape. “And they’re pink because I decided to throw a little ‘pizazz’ in there, you know?” Himiko still looked a bit uneasy, finding it hard to believe in Ouma’s words. “Wow! You actually do worry about me! What a shock!” Ouma dryly laughed with as much power as he could manage, coughing up again here and there. Himiko furrowed her brows and muttered something inaudible to Ouma.

“I’m still dragging you to the nurse’s office, like it or not.” The purple-haired boy was the one shocked and taken aback this time. Normally, if going according to how their normal days usually went, Himiko wouldn’ve just ignored him and went back to whatever she was doing, Ouma mocking and teasing her about her silence once more. This time, however, was different. Ouma was personally taking it to heart, making him happy to see that she did care. Alas, he didn’t really want anyone to know he was ill.

"Look, if it upsets you greatly, I’ll just visit the doctor after school.” Ouma declared a suggestion, hoping to get Himiko off his back and to forget about her worries and focus on her studies rather than him. Himiko tried to say something but was cut off by Ouma. “I can make it until the end of the day. Don’t worry you idiot.” Himiko furrowed her brows once more then went back to reading her book. Looks like she took the insult more personal now since she was offering help. Before he could say another word, the teacher had walked in, starting the first hour officially.

~

The waiting room was relatively empty that afternoon. Ouma sat in a corner underneath the television that hung from the ceiling. He was waiting for his appointment with the doctor. The time was five, and school had been released around three and a half hours ago. His pediatrician had sent him to a nearby hospital since she usually doesn’t deal with these types of cases. The teenager had lied to his parents, saying that he wouldn’t be back until around six due to a chess club meeting and tournament that they were going to have with another school. They had willingly believed him. There were only two people in the waiting room. One of them was a man that seemed to be in his thirties. He was reading a magazine of some sort. The other was a woman who kept on biting her lip and playing with her thumbs. Ouma tried his best to avoid eye contact with any of them, holding in any incoming coughs he could feel in order to not cause a disruption. He could feel an eruption of flower petals mixed in with blood when he inwardly coughed. He held it in, however, not wanting to miss his appointment if they were to call him. A few minutes passed by until he heard his name called by one of the attendants at the desk. He entered the room before the brown wooden door and had his pressure, weight, and height taken by a nurse who said no words to him. He thanked that since he still held in the petals and blood in his mouth. When he arrived at his room, the first thing he did was spit up everything he held up. Fortunately, no one was around to witness this. After around five minutes, the doctor walked in, finding Ouma sitting in a swivel chair and spinning around like a child. He didn’t question it, rather skipping on to the crucial information instead.

“Ouma Kokichi, correct?” The young boy nodded, getting up to shake hands with the doctor who also introduced himself. After confirming all the information that was on the paper, the doctor cut to the chase. “Well, why have you decided to visit?” Ouma was about to tell him, but he then felt another fit of coughs coming. When he coughed, the daisy petals came out to be dyed red with an excessive amount of blood following it. All of it fell onto the white-tiled floor. The doctor needed no further explanation. Ouma glanced at the concerned look on the doctor’s face and sheepishly grinned due to embarrassment. “Hanahaki disease.” The name was foreign to the teen but brought great concern.

~

Ouma lay on the hospital bed in a blue gown. It was his second visit this week, apart from the one on Monday. Today was Thursday, and he had once again lied to his parents about a chess club meeting. They would soon find out when they obtain the bill, but for now, he was content with them being in the dark. The doctor had ordered an x-ray for the male, wanting to see just how far the disease had spread to his lungs. This was what was causing him difficulty breathing. There were daisies growing in his lungs, strangling him slowly but turning him into a beautiful garden. These daisies growing came from the unrequited love he had for Himiko. It was beautifully toxic. Soon, his doctor came through the door, holding a picture of the results of the x-ray. The image showcased spots and splotches of white within the black background that represented the lungs. The starting point was the right corner of the left lung, the flowers spreading out in all directions as if climbing up a vineyard little by little. No further explanation was needed in order for the teen to understand his predicament. He was facing death by asphyxiation due to the flourishing flowers that fed on the unrequited love that was kept a secret from Ouma’s crush, thus turning them into daisies as that is what these flowers symbolized. A daisy could commonly be associated with loyal love and keeping a secret.

“Your case is gradually becoming worse, leading to eventual death due to suffocation as I’m sure you’re aware of.” The teen nodded in order to affirm the doctor’s thought. In all honesty, Ouma was quite afraid of death. He was still young, still had many ambitions and firsts to look forward to. He wanted to get to see the day when he graduated from high school, maybe get accepted into a local university and start a family. He just couldn’t have an early death with so much to look forward to. Apparently, Ouma had let this bit of fear slip and show on his face, turning a bit pale looking as if all the blood had drained from his face. The doctor caught this expression. “Don’t worry, there is a surgical procedure to have the flowers removed, excluding you from an early death if you are willing to go through with the procedure.”

“Are there any drawbacks?” The offer surely was tempting, being able to extend your own life expectancy. When Ouma asked this question, the doctor bit his lip, as if contemplating on whether he should tell the young boy about the symptoms of after the surgery if he was to go through with it. This made Ouma fear a bit about the consequences.

“Well, everyone that has had the surgery and had undergone it all reported back saying that their feelings for the person had diminished. Some even reported back saying that they are entirely devoid of the feeling of love, unable to have romantic feelings for anyone. Although this isn’t scientifically proven or has undergone more research, it still stands as a fact since one-hundred percent of the patients had reported back the same results.” Ouma personally felt a bit horrified by this. Although he so badly did want to continue on with life, on the other hand, he really didn’t want to lose his feelings he held for Himiko, have them perish into thin air just like that. It was something he was going to have to put a lot of thought into.

~

Ending 1:

It was currently Friday, the nineteenth of January. There were only a few minutes left until the dismissal bell rang, releasing all of the students for the three-day weekend ahead. Ouma sat at his desk located in the back of his fifth-hour class, otherwise known as his final hour before the three-day weekend. He had his head in his arms as he closed his eyes, drifting his thoughts away from the surgery and the disease he still possessed. The young boy decided not to go along with the procedure, desperately wanting to hold on to the feelings he had for the girl around his age named Himiko. Speaking of her, she sat all the way in the front as she shared her homeroom and final hour with the purple-haired teen. She hadn’t finished taking her test. Ouma tried to drift his mind away from her since thinking of her led to his thoughts about his death. Since he refused the surgery, Ouma had tried to accept and come to terms with death, knowing that he would eventually pass on. It had been a few weeks since his visit to the doctor, and his condition was just growing worse. The daisy petals now were a dark crimson laying in a pool of blood that was regurgitated on a daily basis. It also became quite difficult to breathe, feeling as if someone had taken a pair of scissors and cut his trachea, leaving only a small portion in order for Ouma to remain inhaling and exhaling. He couldn’t perform any sports, running out of breath as soon as five seconds after he began to run or play. Due to his condition, he was exempt from gym class as he finally had enough courage to tell his parents about his condition, receiving the bill a few days ago. Although he got into quite the amount of trouble, his parents tried their best to help out their son, urging him to go through with the surgery. He hadn’t straight-up told them that he refused the procedure but rather intended that he would put in thought to the decision-

Cough. A spurt of crimson-dyed flowers and a puddle of blood came out of Ouma’s mouth, leaving quite a mess on his manilla desk. It was quite a loud one too, causing everyone’s attention to be directed towards him. Himiko looked the most concerned. Fortunately for Ouma, no one had seen the petals, only the blood-soaked on his hands and desk, dripping onto the floor. The teacher advised him to get some paper towels and clean the mess up, further giving instructions to head on to the nurse once he was finished, much to Ouma’s dismay. He made his way over to the sink located within the classroom, depositing of the petals and washing his hands, grabbing paper towels on the way to mop up the mess. The clock ticked away. Three minutes until release. As Ouma got on his knees and cleaned up the blood spilled onto the floor, he mindlessly watched the outdoors through the clear glass window. The sky was cloudy today, saturated with gray clouds giving the impression that it was going to drizzle. Once he finished cleaning up, the bell rang, relieving Ouma as he no longer needed to make his way to the nurse. Himiko rushed towards the boy quickly, helping him up. The teacher also stayed and asked Ouma about his wellbeing.

“Don’t worry, it’s probably due to my frequent coughs. I’m going to the doctor now anyway.” Once more, he lied his way out of the situation, not wanting anyone to worry about him. The teacher seemed to buy it, bidding Ouma and Himiko farewell as well as wishing for Ouma’s health to become better by Tuesday. Himiko, on the other hand, didn’t buy the excuse but remained silent anyway, making her way out of the classroom with Ouma following suit.

~

The pair sat on a couple of swings located just within the outskirts of the local park, remaining silent and quite lonely since no one else visited the park during this weather with gray clouds filling up the atmosphere. Not fit to the awkwardness of the silence of the situation, Ouma tried to strike up a conversation.

“So, got any plans for the weeken-”

“Tell me the truth.” Ouma was a bit taken aback by Himiko’s interruption, raising a brow at her ambiguous demand, giving the impression that he was confused. In truth, he knew what she was talking about. “What is wrong with you? Back at the school, that was a lot of blood, not normal for someone dealing with ‘just coughs.’” Ouma remained silent, wanting to make a teasing joke about how worried Himiko was but figured that it wasn’t the right time. He would just enrage her further, mocking her decent human nature as she would probably be left in a fit of tears, ranting about how whenever she tried to act nice and kind to him she just got a handful of insults and mocking statements rather than a thanks for looking after his wellbeing. Due to his analysis, he figured it would be the best to tell the truth. There was a conflicting side though. Ouma didn’t want anyone else to know about his predicament. There was no use worrying someone about his problems. So, he decided to remain silent. It was the best of the two options, the middle ground. The silence prompted Himiko to continue on. “Another thing, when you told the teacher that you would visit the doctor, you were lying weren’t you?” Once more, Ouma didn’t say a word. Himiko took it as an affirmative. “I knew it.” She took a pause, fixing the creases on her shirt then continuing on. Just before she could, Ouma let out a strong cough once more, spurting various crimson daisy petals and blood all over the grass underneath their feet. Unbeknowest to Himiko, Ouma’s breath was cut short, a bit more than usual this time. It felt as if he was drowning. He continued to cough, regurgitating blood and petals all over the place.

“I-I can barely b-breathe,” Ouma mumbled, intending that he would be the only one to hear this statement. This was it. Ouma was most likely going to die from asphyxiation in this spot, underneath the swings where he spent most of his childhood. At least it was next to Himiko, his secret crush and acquaintance. Within a few seconds, it clicked within Himiko. Ouma was dying in front of her. A classmate, an annoying one most times, but she would consider him a friend from time-to-time. Within an instant, Himiko was kneeling down beside the coughing Ouma. Her eyes seemed glossy, being filled with tears. She seemed to try her best to choke them back though.

“You need to get to a doctor now. Y-You can’t die on me!” Ouma wasn’t listening to her, as always. Even as he was near death, he refused to follow Himiko’s instructions. Of course, she knew full well that it wasn’t his fault. Ouma continued to cough. “You idiot! Why couldn’t you just have listened to me a while ago and went to the doctor? You wouldn’t have one foot in the grave now.” Ouma began to feel his conscious slip in and out, seeing dark spots in his vision. His breath also didn’t seem to be rebounding as quick. “Please, I beg you to stay with me!” Himiko continued on with her urgent calls. He really didn’t want to see his loved one grieve just as he was going to pass. “I love you! Please stay.” Ouma could suddenly breathe once more.

That’s when it happened. Ouma suddenly felt as if he could breathe once more. His lungs cleared up. The daisies within his lungs wilted, and the blood was coming out no more. He was fully freed from the disease, cured of every nook and crease. Ouma felt a surge of strength come back to him. Himiko had declared her true love for him, making the love no longer unrequited. The hanahaki disease was gone within a snap of the fingers. It felt like magic. Ouma opened his eyes, seeing as he was laying on his side with Himiko weeping above him. He then sat up, much to Himiko’s surprise. There were still tears in her eyes but a smile on her face as she embraced him in a tight hug. “I can’t believe you, scaring me like that. I thought I had lost you.”

~

Ending 2:

Two days had gone by since the surgery that Ouma had undergone, taking out the flourishing and blooming daisies that were suffocating him, blocking his airway and forbidding him to breathe well. In the end, the young boy figured that Himiko would never love someone like him, one who constantly teases and mocks the poor girl who is just trying to live a somewhat decent life as a high school student. It wasn’t worth wasting his breath and feelings on someone who wasn’t going to love him back. His parents, finding out about his surgical procedure and condition two weeks before his surgery, had also urged the teen to undergo the procedure, caring very much about their son’s well-being. Sure they were angry that he had kept secrets from them and lied about those chess club meetings, but those feelings were quickly overcome with worry and fear that their one and only son would soon pass on. The doctor had also very well contributed to Ouma’s decision, saying that the young boy was healthy and still had a lot to look forward to since he was still at the mere age of sixteen. All these factors allowed for Ouma to make up his mind. So, within a few weeks, he was back at the hospital with his parents, put under anesthesia, and surgically had the daisies removed from his lungs. After the surgery, he felt different, a sort of dread in place of where his feelings for Himiko had previously lain. It was true what the doctor had said. Ouma no longer held any romantic feelings for Himiko, rather looking at her as a friend or an acquaintance. It was a bit disheartening, knowing that he would never love Himiko the same way, but thought it was for the best. His parents seemed to be happy, seeing as Ouma’s life was spared, so that was all that really mattered to the teen.

~

Himiko and Ouma now sat on swings, the same ones they used to play on when they were children, running around the grassy fields under the midday sun as a breeze blew through the area. It was a Friday afternoon, and the sky was clear of clouds and showcased the brilliant blue hues of the atmosphere. The two sat in silence, swinging a bit back and forth and kicking the ground a bit. Ouma was no longer coughing up the petals and blood, but he never really felt fully cured. There was just an empty void he felt, although he fully understood that it was nothing but his conscious mind making up imaginable things. He still went back to his old ways though, teasing Himiko because of her constant sleepy state or just overall mocking her for fun. Of course, this was all done in a friendly manner. Everything was back to the way things were before Ouma was diagnosed with hanahaki disease. The school went on as normal, as well as the daily flow of life. Nothing stopped just because Ouma’s wellbeing was horrible. Life just went on. It kinda hit Ouma hard, like a slap in the face, knowing that the world only felt like it stopped rotating and revolving in your own conscious mind. The world never stopped for anyone. It was the hard, cold truth of reality. Back to the current scene, the two continued to sit in silence, enjoying the presence of another person. No words were needed to convey the demeanor of the atmosphere. Just then, Ouma heard a faint cough from beside him. A single white daisy petal fell onto the grass. He looked beside him. It came from Himiko.


End file.
